The Raven Mocker: Evil Returns (Cades Cove Series #2)

by Aiden James

  Though delighted by their gifts, Evelyn and Hanna worried their mother, Joanna, might not be pleased that John passed the treasured items on to them instead of her, since she was his and Susanne’s only child. He assured them the gifts were decided on long ago, when it became a grim certainty his dear wife would lose her long-fought battle against breast cancer. Joanna would also receive a cherished jewelry piece upon her return from the Bahamas after New Years.

  Changing back into their original outfits and leaving their gifts in the guestroom, the sisters returned to the living room. John finished cleaning up the strewn gift wrap paper and hung up the fleece-lined jacket they gave him. He began building a warm fire since the temperature had finally cooled to where the brisk air from outside found its way inside the cabin through the chimney’s flue.

  “If you don’t mind tending to this, I’d like to try to call David, to wish him and Miriam a ‘Merry Christmas’ before it gets much later,” said John, motioning for Evelyn to come over and take the poker from him. Once she did, he moved into the kitchen and over to the small stone cove that housed the telephone.

  “It should be just after seven o’clock in Littleton, so I’m hoping they’re done with dinner, and that I’m not interrupting anything,” he said, turning toward the living room. Evelyn had already brought the fire up to where hungry flames engulfed the hickory logs on the hearth. “I’ll bet the kids are so excited—just like you two used to be.” His smile loving, he prepared to dial the Hobbs’ home number.

  John’s smile remained bright as he brought the receiver up to his ear, but then he frowned. He hung up and tried the number again.

  “What’s wrong, Grandpa?” asked Evelyn, setting the poker back in its tray and moving past Hanna, whose concerned look wasn’t near as worried as her own. “Let me hear it.”

  She moved over to where he stood, dialing the number for the fourth time.

  “All I get is static—just like what happened when David tried to call his home from here, back in October,” said John. He handed the phone to her.

  Evelyn placed the receiver next to her ear. She told John she heard the same eerie static he described, and recalled the same October night in question. She had insisted on David staying with John until the following morning. At that time, Allie Mae’s spirit lurked outside, stealthily approaching the cabin from the western woods in her determined efforts to kill David if given the chance. Tonight the static was the same…and yet somehow different.

  “Did you hear anything else besides the static?” she asked him.

  “No, I did not,” he advised, perplexed by her question. “Let me listen again.” He took the phone back from her. By then, the static had been joined by a dial tone. “Do you mean the busy signal?”

  He handed the phone to her again. Meanwhile, Hanna joined them in the kitchen.

  “No, it wasn’t the busy signal…it was something else,” said Evelyn, who exchanged glances with her sister and grandfather. “Maybe I’m mistaken, Grandpa. I could’ve overreacted to the static….”

  She hung up and dialed the local time instead. The call went through fine, and she handed the phone back to John so he could confirm it.

  “Don’t worry, Grandpa, I’m sure they’re all right,” she sought to assure him. “We’ll try again tomorrow, and if we still can’t get through, I’ll see if I can get in touch with the phone company in Colorado after Christmas.”

  She smiled warmly to sell him confidence in her words. She seemed to forget that he could read her thoughts, even as old as he was. The faint, wind-like whistling noise she heard sounded nothing like a busy signal.

  Regardless, it confirmed his immediate thought and fear… that the entity hadn’t left after all. It lay hidden someplace close and yet at the same time far away, if such a thing were possible. He knew, as certainly she did, that the mischievous anisgina merely waited for the right opportunity to strike. He again prayed that it didn’t happen until after the holidays had passed.

  “Maybe you’re right… I’ll try again tomorrow,” he agreed.

  He forced a smile for Hanna’s benefit, and then motioned for everyone to return to the living room. By then, the air around them had grown quite cozy, the deepening chill from outside banished by the fire’s warmth. It made it easier for them all to ignore what had just happened and resume their Christmas Eve celebration.

  Evelyn suggested they play a board game together, and Hanna retrieved the latest version of Scrabble from John’s bedroom closet. A birthday gift to him from her the previous August, tonight presented the first opportunity to play it together. They played two rounds while sipping whiskey-spiked eggnog and listening to a collection of country Christmas carols that he purchased the week before. He retired first, around eleven, after thanking his granddaughters for the nice jacket and telling them he looked forward to spending Christmas day with them. Evelyn came next, winning the rights to sleep in the guestroom by virtue of a coin flip.

  That left Hanna and Shawn alone in the living room. After transforming the couch into her bed for the night, she turned off the remaining lights still on throughout the main floor, leaving only the outside security lights and a small nightlight in the kitchen.

  A few minutes past midnight when she finally laid down on the couch, Shawn curled up on the floor beneath her. Following a busy Christmas Eve and aided by the whiskey in her eggnog, she soon fell asleep. A faint smile on her face, barely visible in the glow from the cooling embers in the fireplace, the quiet sizzle from the hickory coals obscured the soft rustle approaching the secluded cabin from the west.

  Chapter Eleven

  While John and his granddaughters lay sleeping in Gatlinburg, David wrapped his arms around Miriam’s waist from behind and nibbled gently on the back of her ear. They stood near the kitchen sink, where a load of dishes waited to be rinsed from dinner.

  “Merry Christmas, darlin’.”

  She hadn’t expected his loving advance, even though things were returning to normal for them. David was as pleasantly surprised as she that the hostile presence hadn’t returned. He even called ahead to make room reservations at the local Residence Inn at the Tech Center, down the road from their Littleton home, just in case. Luckily, they didn’t need the reservations and he canceled them that afternoon.

  “Merry Christmas to you, too, my love,” she whispered back, and then turned to face him.

  Her smile carried only a hint of worry. David returned her smile with a confident grin, knowing she needed to see this from him. No one in the household wanted to consider the reality of being forced to flee their home at a moment’s notice if the entity returned.

  They embraced tightly and shared a passionate kiss, longer than any they’d shared during the past week and a half. The hectic pace in getting ready for Christmas and Ruth’s visit seemed like a blur, and it left them without opportunities for intimacy.

  “Maybe later we can finish what we’ve started here…are you interested?” he said, gently kissing her cheek, chin, and then down her neck.

  “Stop, David!” she scolded, her tone playful but with enough seriousness to remind him that the kids and his aunt were in the other room.

  Janice hadn’t left yet either, despite the fact ten o’clock fast approached. Christopher and Jillian would be in bed soon.

  The promise of a visit from Santa Claus was usually the only thing necessary to get the younger kids in bed on Christmas Eve. But this year different, David openly wondered earlier that evening if it would be the time when they came clean with Christopher about the true identity of Santa. Jillian already knew, as of two years ago, and Tyler had known for the past six years that his parents put the presents under the tree during the wee hours of Christmas Day. Granted, they both enjoyed the surprises awaiting them at dawn, as well as watching their younger brother’s excitement over the missing chocolate chip cookies and drained glass of milk set out for ole Saint Nick.

  David kissed Miriam on the forehead and gave her a sly wi
nk, just as Janice walked into the kitchen. Even though the heated moment had passed, she blushed, as if sensing the sexual tension between husband and wife.

  “I’ve cleaned up the last of the dessert plates, and here’s what’s left of the pecan pie that you love so much, David,” she said, moving over to the refrigerator where she deposited the last few pie slices. She then set the plates in the sink. “I better get going. I want to try to reach Sara before it gets any later. I must say this has been the most unusual Christmas we’ve had together, but at least today has been great. Thanks so much for the excellent dinner and the fun evening!”

  “You’re so welcome, Jan,” said Miriam, moving over to her.

  The two shared a warm hug, and then all three walked together through the dining room to the foyer where Janice’s coat hung from the hall tree. It pleased him that the coziness found elsewhere on the main floor had infused the dining room as well.

  “What time should I plan to be ready for you all tomorrow, Mir?” asked Janice, after she bundled up in her parka with her scarf pulled up around her face. The temperature moderately cold throughout most of the day, it had dropped down to the single digits over the course of the past hour. “Would noon give the kids ample time to open presents from Santa and get everyone ready to come over to my place?”

  “Noon at your place will be fine, Jan,” said David, after receiving the ‘it’s up to you’ look from Miriam. “We’re already looking forward to it!”

  “Noon it is, then.”

  Janice walked briskly to her Subaru sedan parked in the driveway. Once she started up the engine, she hurried back to where Miriam waited for her at the front door, holding it open for her to escape the frigid night air while her car warmed up. He took this opportunity to check on everyone else gathered in the living room.

  Tyler sat in his dad’s recliner with his headphones on, playing a new game for his PSP while rocking back and forth to one of the CDs he received from Janice for Christmas—a metal album she previously asked permission to give him, since it came with a parental warning sticker. Miriam was at first hesitant, until learning that the warning pertained to one song, and consisted of words that she, David, and most adults uttered in the most frustrating moments of life. David agreed their hypocrisy could only go so far, especially since Tyler had been exposed to worse language from his schoolmates and almost never repeated any of it in his parents’ presence.

  Jillian and Christopher remained on the sofa with Ruth, who seemed to relish the attention. She presently read a passage to them from the complete Harry Potter collection she’d purchased for them both at the mall yesterday. One of several gifts she splurged on, and the only one intended for both kids. So clearly enthralled, swept up in the allure of Ruth’s genteel southern accent she employed while reading aloud as compared to the Tennessee twang she normally spoke with.

  Ruth looked up briefly from the sofa, as did Sadie, while David passed by, surveying the room for anything unusual. He hid behind a smile that wasn’t so much forced as enhanced by the holiday cheer around him. And despite her gracious smirk that met his, there remained a hint of sadness surrounding her.

  Auntie’s still affected by what happened yesterday....

  He suddenly thought about John Running Deer back in Tennessee. David had tried twice to call him earlier that evening, but couldn’t get through...kept getting the long distance busy signal so common this time of year. He hoped to reach him sometime tomorrow.

  Once Janice drove away and Miriam returned to the living room, David nonchalantly ventured upstairs alone. If the kids went to bed first, he wanted to make sure it remained safe to do so. Since last night, no one had experienced anything unusual or unfriendly. But he wasn’t convinced the hostile presence wouldn’t come back—especially after telling the entity to get the hell out of their house.

  He moved quietly up the staircase, cursing under his breath when the floorboards squeaked slightly. Once he reached the second floor he stopped and listened, peering in either direction along the hallway. It seemed deathly quiet, but after focusing his attention like this for a few minutes, he prepared to head back down the stairs.

  “What are you looking for, hon’?”

  Miriam stood at the bottom of the stairs, a knowing smile on her face. Startled, he nearly lost his balance and was a hair’s breathe from tumbling down toward her. Her frightened squeal matched his surprised gasp. He grabbed the banister’s edge and regained his footing atop the staircase.

  “You scared the holy shit out of me!” he scolded her, rubbing one hand nervously through his thick blond bangs as he considered how close he came to a hospital visit just now. “How long were you standing there watching me?”

  “You scared the shit out of me, too, Mister!” she retorted, her tone more annoyed than fearful. “You could’ve seriously hurt yourself, David, and possibly me too! And, to answer your question, I watched you for the past minute or so, after Chris told me he saw you sneak out of the living room.”

  So much for discreet cleverness.

  “You’re looking to see if it’s come back yet, aren’t you?”

  Why does her timing always have to be so damned impeccable?

  “Yeah, I was,” he confirmed. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “But I don’t think it’s coming back…not yet, anyway.”

  “Hopefully, it won’t.” She waited for him to join her at the base of the staircase. “Jillian’s sleeping with Ruth tonight, and Ty agreed to let Chris join him. I guess Sadie can stay in whichever room she prefers.”

  “When did this get decided?” he asked, wrapping his arm around her waist as they walked back toward the living room. “I hope Ty realizes that Chris will be up at least an hour before dawn.”

  “He knows,” she confirmed. “He and Jill are just as anxious to see what will be waiting under the tree for them as he is. So, get ready to go to work, Mr. Claus!” She winked impishly and gave him a light jab in his ribs with her elbow.

  “Hell, I was hoping you’d take care of the main chore this time, Mrs. Claus, and allow me to sit back and watch while I take care of the milk and cookies!” He returned her playfulness with a mischievous grin, spurred on by where their jovial mood might lead.

  Christopher soon began to nod off, and Tyler retired with him upstairs. Ruth and Jillian followed, leaving David and Miriam alone downstairs. They set the presents from Santa around the Christmas tree and shared the treats left on the kitchen table by Christopher. Afterward, they nestled close together on the loveseat. With only the illumination from the Christmas tree and the dying flames in the fireplace, they picked up from where they left off earlier, their passionate kiss in the kitchen being a mere hint of things to come. Soon their foreplay brought them both to full arousal, and once David ensured that the remaining wood coals were safely under control, Miriam led him upstairs.

  Everyone else fast asleep, they quietly locked their bedroom door behind them. Forgetting the entity that in David’s mind watched from somewhere, perhaps in amused silence, they muffled their orgasms only on account of the close proximity of their children and his aunt at the other end of the hall. They then fell asleep, Miriam’s head resting upon David’s chest and their limbs entwined together in blissful contentment.

  Chapter Twelve

  “What in the hell’s this?” muttered John Campbell as he ripped the torn piece of notebook paper from Langston Hall’s leaded-glass front door and held it up to his flashlight’s beam. The building completely dark, even the security lamps high above on either side of the main entrance were off.

  “What the ...?”

  That was all he managed after glancing over the hurriedly scribbled note left for him by Johnnie Mercer. Anger turned his gray eyes almost green as he stepped back from the entrance and raised his sullen gaze toward the top of the building.

  “Goddamned, ungrateful, motherfucker!” he hissed into the air above.

  Light snow drifted toward the earth, as it had for the past hour. H
e shook off the tiny white flakes that had just attached themselves to his bushy red hair, grimacing in disgust as he read the note once more. This time he positioned the flashlight to where he clearly saw the entire message. The letters a mixture of cursive and block letters, though John didn’t recognize the style of some printed details, it was definitely Johnnie’s script, with his initials at the bottom of the torn page.

  ‘Sorry, man. Can’t stay and you shouldn’t either. Tell Vernon to find someone else to put up with this shit—I fucking quit! Pay you back later. JM’

  “This fucking beats all,” whispered John, pausing to shine the flashlight around him.

  Definitely no one here. Not even a single visible footprint in the light blanket of fresh snow, other than those from his waffle-soled shoes. Johnnie must’ve taken off not long after arriving here tonight, around 8 p.m., nearly four hours ago. And to think that John had agreed to switch shifts so Johnnie could be off at midnight on Christmas Eve instead of his pre-assigned shift end time of 6 a.m. Christmas morning.

  John hadn’t minded making the shift trade, since it allowed him to pick up two more hours of premium pay. Plus, it made him feel good to help out someone whose stated reason for requesting the trade was their little boy, who’d just turned three a few weeks back. Still healing from his summer divorce to his promiscuous ex-wife, Tracie, John preferred to work as much as possible during the holidays anyway—at least this year.

  He stepped up to the entrance and shined his flashlight through the leaded glass, looking for movement inside the building. Hard to tell, but it looked like the temporary guard station table and chair had been knocked over. Probably by Johnnie on the way out of the former dormitory affectionately known amongst the five guards chartered for this gig as “The Langston Icebox.”